Family: Meliaceae

These six species of Australian native trees pro-duce a milky sap and small flowers, followed by acid fruit which is eaten by the Aborigines. They are unlikely to be available outside Australia.

Species

O. acidula, sour plum or emu apple, is native to Queensland and New South Wales and generally grows to about 8 m (26 ft). It may be tree-like or shrubby in form, and has pendu­lous branches and reddish, acidic, thirst-quenching fruit.

Cultivation

In frost-prone climates, grow in an intermediate to warm greenhouse or conserva­tory. Outdoors grow in a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Propagation may be successful from semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, rooted in a mix of three parts coarse sand to one part peat or vermiculite. If propagating from seed, make sure it is fresh. However, seed-raising is difficult and treatment is needed to break dor­mancy of the seed. Many of the usual methods have not proved very successful.

Climate

Zone 10 and above.